


Family

by Raina_The_Rogue



Category: Avengers, spider-man homecoming
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 20:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14859618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raina_The_Rogue/pseuds/Raina_The_Rogue
Summary: Aunt May is dead. Murdered, in a home invasion gone wrong. Peter wasn't there to stop it. The Avengers took him in, but nobody really knows how to help him. And when Peter discovers the one responsible, it only gets harder.





	1. Chapter 1

**(AU where after Civil War, the Avengers resolved their differences and started living together again. Takes place after Homecoming and before Infinity War)**

The start of the day had been a normal one. Peter woke up, went to school, endured the bullying that was only tolerable because of his friends Ned and MJ, went home, dropped off his school bag (he had learned his lesson from last time), changed into his Spider-Man suit, and took off out his window.

It was a relatively slow day as far as criminals were concerned, compared to other days. He stopped a mugging, did a couple flips mid-air for excited onlookers, and spent the rest of the evening just swinging around and observing the city below him. He perched on the roof of one particularly tall skyscraper, taking in the sight. One of the perks of having superpowers was undeniably the view. No matter how many times he saw it, it never got old. Which was a good thing he supposed, since he saw it everyday. He glanced at the time on his HUD inside his mask. He decided that one in the morning was late enough tonight. He had a presentation in the morning for English, and he didn't want to look like he just came back from the dead.

When he got within a couple blocks of his apartment building, he knew something wasn't right. His spidey-sense was thudding dully at the base of his skull, warning him about something that obviously wasn't an active threat anymore. That put him more at ease, but he couldn't get rid of the sour taste that had appeared in his mouth.

When he finally swung into view of the complex, his heart dropped. There were over half a dozen cop cars outside, with quite a few onlookers trying to get a peek at whatever had transpired while he was away. Peter dropped down in front of a police officer.

"What happened here?" he asked. The cop was slightly startled, but recovered quickly and replied,

"A lady got killed during a home invasion, but the guy ran." Peter was becoming more alarmed by the second. He stared up at the building.

"What apartment?"

"212, why-" he didn't even hear the tail end of the young man's question before he bolted. "Hey, wait! You can't go in there!" the cop yelled, but Peter couldn't care less. He leaped up the side of the building, heading straight for his bedroom window. It was still unlocked. He slid in, and the smell of blood and death assaulted his enhanced senses.

"No, nononononono..." he mumbled, stumbling through his room and into the main part of the apartment. The officers in the room looked startled, but he didn't even see them. He stared at the pale and bloodied body of his aunt in utter shock, barely comprehending what he was seeing.

"Spider-Man?" one of the officers asked, taking a step closer. Peter backed up, putting a hand to his forehead.

"I-I'm sorry, I-" He scrambled back into his room, jumping straight out of the window and heedless of any who might catch sight of him. He outstretched his hands and shot webs at a nearby building, swinging up onto the roof in an instant. He leapt over rooftop after rooftop, each step carrying him farther and farther away from the nightmare he could barely believe. Silent tears burned in his eyes as he dropped down into an abandoned alley. The image of May's dead body was burned into his memory.

 **"Peter, your heart rate has elevated drastically, I would recommend-"**  he cut Karen off.

"Call Mr. Stark," he said, his voice cracking. Karen quickly obliged. It felt like an eternity until Tony Stark's face popped up on his HUD. He ran his fingers through his hair while yawning.

**"Kid, it's 1 AM, can't it wait until morning?"**

"A-Aunt May's dead," Peter responded plainly, his voice quavering dangerously. Tony's expression changed drastically at hearing those words.

 **"What?"**  he said, disbelieving.  **"Okay, I'm picking you up, where are you? Nevermind, there's a tracker in your suit. Just sit tight okay? Stay where you are, I'll be right there."**  The call ended there. Peter pulled his mask off, covering his mouth with a hand. His eyes were wide, unblinking, tears streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't comprehend what he had just seen. No, it wasn't possible. She  _can't_  be dead, she can't be. She can't be.

Peter didn't know how long he sat there in silence and disbelief, but it was long enough for an expensive-looking car to drive up to the alley and skid to a stop. The door opened, and Tony Stark exited in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Hey, kid," he said softly, crouching down next to Peter's crumpled frame. Despite the heater that had automatically activated in his suit against the cooling weather, he was shivering, and Tony would hazard to guess that it wasn't from the cold.

"Hey Mr. Stark..." Peter's voice was barely above a whisper. Tony felt something break inside him at the weak sound.

"C'mon, let's get outta here," he told the teenager, putting a hand on his shoulder. Peter was completely unresponsive. "Pete, you can't sit out in the cold all night," Tony said, sounding worried to Peter's distant ears. He slowly picked himself off the damp concrete and let himself be led into the warm car. Happy turned around from his spot in the driver's seat, looking concerned. Tony nodded to him without a word and the car started moving again.

Peter sat in silence, staring at the back of the seat in front of him. Tony, not knowing what else to do, slung an arm around the kid silently. He had never been good at the whole "feelings" thing, but he knew the kid would need some sort of consolement. As soon as he touched him, the tears returned. "S-she's gone," he choked, his voice hitching in the middle of the first word. Tony instinctively pulled the kid into a hug, rubbing his back comfortingly while he sobbed silently into his shirt.

Peter eventually quieted, just sitting there silently. His breathing evened out, and Tony realized that he had fallen asleep. The poor kid must have been exhausted, both physically and mentally. He slowly lowered him to the leather seat, allowing him to effectively lay down and use Tony's legs as a pillow. He shifted in his sleep but didn't wake. Even while unconscious, he looked troubled. Tony looked down at him. He was way too young to have to be dealing so much death. First his parents, then his uncle, then his aunt, not to mention everything he went through as Spider-Man on a daily basis. Tony didn't like it at all. He was a kid for crying out loud, not even seventeen yet. He should be worrying about pimples and two-week old crushes, not the fate of his only remaining family member (well, not so much anymore, Tony thought with regret).

Eventually, they reached the Avengers Facility, where Tony spent most of his time nowadays. Ever since they had moved the HQ upstate, and the rest of the Avengers had moved back in, it seemed like there was always something that needed doing there, whether it be upgrading or just plain maintenance. Turns out that having over a dozen superpowered people in the same building led to lots of broken things. He didn't like trusting other people to work with his tech, especially with all the sensitive information stored on the Avengers servers.

Happy pulled into the driveway, slowly stopping the vehicle. He was about to ask a question but Tony interjected before he could say anything. "I got 'em," he said, lifting Peter's head slightly so he could get out of the door on his side without disturbing the teen. He exited the car, but turned around and slid his arms under the smaller's body. As he picked him up, he noticed that Peter was a lot lighter than kids his age usually were. His powers were probably to blame, Tony guessed. He silently carried him through the large double doors and through the twisting hallways until he reached a certain one. Down here was where he put all the living quarters/bedrooms. On his way to an empty one, he passed by Natasha, who looked like she had just came back from a late night workout. She narrowed her eyes in confusion when she saw Tony carrying a seemingly random boy clad in a Spider-Man suit through the halls of the Avengers HQ. "I'll explain later," was all he said to her before ducking into an unoccupied room. He laid the teen down gently on the bed that was inside, pulling the duvet over him. He stood there observing him for a minute. It once again hit him that this boy was just sixteen, and had no right to go through what he did. He didn't know him at the time, but Tony knew that the death of his uncle had devastated him, and he had barely recovered as it was. Now, with his only remaining living family member gone, and so soon after the death of Ben Parker, Tony honestly didn't know how it would affect the boy.

He leaned over the teen and grabbed the Spider-Man mask from his white-knuckled grip, slowly sliding it over his head. He probably wouldn't appreciate having everyone see his face.

"Tony?" Natasha asked quietly, stepping through the doorway. "Is that...?"

"Yeah."

"Why is Spider-Man here?"

"Friday, wake the others and tell them to go to the living room."

 **"Yes boss,"**  the AI responded.

"It'll be better if I explain in front of everyone," Tony told her. She nodded. He looked down at Peter again.

"Friday, keep an eye on him alright?"

**"Sure thing."**


	2. Chapter 2

"You brought Spider-Man to the Avengers Facility?" Sam asked, crossing his arms. The entirety of the team was sitting in the large living room, lounging on various pieces of furniture or standing.

"His aunt just got murdered," Tony spoke simply. "She was the only family he had left, I wasn't about to leave him on the street, especially not after he called me."

"What about the police? They're gonna want to question him at some point, and you didn't tell them you were taking him," Steve spoke up from his spot on one of the couches.

"We can deal with that later, I'll have my lawyers handle it," came the response.

"So is he going to live here now?" Wanda asked. She was sitting on a loveseat with Vision. It had been well established that they were in a relationship, and none of the rest of them objected. They all thought it was, quite frankly, adorable.

"It all depends on what the kid wants," Tony answered. "If not, he'll probably live with one of his friends from school."

"But since he's Spider-Man, you'd prefer it if he lived here," Rhodey spoke for his best friend. He shifted his stance from where he was standing. It had been relatively simple for Tony to engineer braces so the soldier could walk. There had been some tension between Vision and Rhodey in the first few days after Team Cap moved back in, but it had soon been resolved when Vision approached him with a sincere apology. Rhodey had forgiven him; it was an accident, after all, the android had never intended to cripple the man. Thankfully, any animosity the two had harbored against each other had soon dissipated, and business as usual returned to the Facility.

"Makes sense," Bucky added. The super soldier had also started living there, and had caused more tension than Rhodey and Vision combined. Tony had reluctantly allowed him inside, mainly because he trusted his fellow Avengers (usually Steve, Sam, or Nat) to keep an eye on him more than anyone the government could provide. And it seemed like the man didn't want to be alone anyways. He seemed to trust himself just about as much as Tony trusted him; in other words, not much. Everyone had adjusted however, and he turned out to be pretty handy during training sessions. Of course, it always helped that Bucky genuinely seemed like he wanted to change and stray from his Hydra ways. He was a completely different person than the Winter Soldier. That wasn't to say he didn't have his fair share of problems such as PTSD and the like. Practically everyone in the Avengers had some sort of mental issues, due to the sheer number of times they had to save the Earth, not to mention personal experiences. But they all supported each other, in their own way. They were in this together for the long run, and judging by the way things had been going (pretty good), it didn't look like they were due for another civil war anytime soon (thank God).

"So, do you know his name?" Clint asked.

"I think he's rather tell you himself, if he wants to," Tony replied. "He still has a secret identity, and unlike the rest of us, he might want to keep it a secret." Clint made a noise of affirmation and settled deeper into the couch he was currently inhabiting.

"So, we're just gonna wait until he wakes up?"

"Until tomorrow yes, the poor kid's exhausted," Tony said, sounding slightly exasperated. He would have thought that things like this were a given. But he guessed that some people just needed it said aloud to confirm.

"Well, I for one, am tired. 'Night everyone," Rhodey announced. The rest soon followed, trickling into their rooms. Some couldn't help but take a peek into the room Spider-Man was sleeping in. None disturbed him however, and the rest of the night passed by quietly.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Peter felt when he woke up was confusion. He was wearing his Spidey mask. Where exactly had he fallen asleep? His brain returned to the night previous, and it all came back in a rush. Aunt May's bloody body, laying on the kitchen floor. Tony Stark picking him up in the middle of the night and comforting him while he sobbed. Back in the present, Peter suppressed another one, the tears returning and burning his eyes. He took a couple breaths before attempting to figure out where he was. He deduced that from the rich and fancy interior of the bedroom he was lying in that he was in one of Tony's houses, or possibly even the Avengers Facility. He doubted it was the last option, but a spider could hope.

It was a while before he mustered the emotional strength to kick his feet over the edge of the bed and finally stand. When he did, he found that he was standing on jello legs. He steadied himself against the frame of the bed with one hand. He took another deep breath. He saw that the door was open a crack, prompting him to approach slowly. His spider-sense was silent, indicating that there was no danger. Well, if he was where he thought he was, then that would be the case then, wouldn't it?

Peter peeked out of the door and into the hallway. There was no one in sight, though he did see a lot of other doors on both sides of his room. Making sure his mask was secured to the rest of his suit, he slowly stepped out. He turned towards his empty room as he slowly walked backwards, eyes darting everywhere. It couldn't help to be on guard. "Karen, where am I?" he whispered.

**"You are in the Avengers Facility,"** the AI responded.

"I'm in the what?!" he couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hey, Webs," a voice called from behind him. He spun and almost shot at the noise.

"O-oh, Mr. Stark!" Peter said, lowering his hands.

"You can calm down, you're safe," he said. The teen blinked at his odd behavior. Tony almost never talked this sincerely. "Come here, there's some people who wanna meet you. Well, formally." Peter was a bit confused but followed the billionaire anyway, still a bit unintentionally on edge.

They rounded a corner, and Peter almost stopped in his tracks. Sitting in the living room, just lounging around, were the Avengers. Yeah, he was definitely in the Avengers Facility. Tony walked farther into the room and sat down in a single chair. "Well come on, don't be shy," he said. Still in mild shock, Peter did as he was told and sat in the nearest chair, sinking down into the cushions only slightly. "Everyone, this is Spider-Man. I'm sure most of you already know him," Tony introduced, everyone knowing what he was talking about. No one really liked mentioning that battle at the airport.

"You stole my shield," Steve said with a light smile on his face.

"I-I-yeah," was all the wallcrawler could get out. He had seen everyone before, obviously, but he hadn't exactly had the chance to talk to many of them. And in such a relaxed setting, it was slightly unnerving.

"You've got skill kid," a man Peter vaguely recognized as Falcon, Sam Wilson, said. Peter spluttered. It was weird, getting compliments from people who had been trying to end him the last time he had seen them, almost six months ago. Chuckles reverberated around the room at his embarrassment. The mood turned more serious soon however, because Tony said,

"So, there's the issue of where you wanna stay." The reason why Tony had mentioned it shifted Peter's mood instantly. He stared down at his lap silently.

"I-I'm probably going to get put into a foster home," he responded quietly.

"You could always live here ya know," Tony suggested.

"What?" Peter asked, disbelieving.

"Of course, that would mean that I'd have to adopt you," he explained. Peter felt his jaw fall, obviously visible through his suit by a smirk from Sam. "It's entirely up to you, of course, cuz that would mean you'd probably have to tell everyone here your real name and stuff," Tony went on.

"I... I guess I could do that," he answered. "I-I mean, you guys are the Avengers, you're not gonna tell anyone right?"

"Of course not," Wanda said with a smile. Peter returned it, until he realized that they couldn't see his face.

"Well, here goes nothing," he mumbled half to himself, before reaching up and peeling the layer of spandex off of his face. "I'm Peter Parker."

"Holy- you're a lot younger than I thought," Rhodey exclaimed softly. The teen gave a small shrug to the sergeant.

"So, Webs, whaddaya say we sort out a room for you?" Tony said, standing.

"I guess," he replied, copying him and following him out into the hallway. The room was quiet for a bit after they left.

"That poor kid," Natasha said quietly. Various mumbles of agreement reverberated around the circle they were gathered in. They all silently agreed that no one should have to go through that, especially a teenager.

\-------

Peter was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling and doing absolutely nothing. He hadn't slept at all last night. He would be completely fine if he never moved. He didn't even feel like breathing, but of course, he needed to if he wanted to, ya know, live. He was in a stupor of disbelief. First, his only family gets killed, and the next thing he knew he's practically an Avenger. He felt a brief wave of rage wash over him.  _No, I'm not having a repeat of what happened with Uncle Ben_ , he managed to convince himself.  _That's not what she would want. What either of them would want. But hey, I'm living with the Avengers now! That's pretty cool_. The exhilaration that probably would have come with that revelation had been dulled by the shock of May's death. He wanted to cry just thinking that fleeting thought. He turned over and shoved his face into his fluffy pillows, shaking slightly.

**"Mr. Parker, you have an incoming call from Ned Leeds on your cellphone,"**  Friday informed him. Peter sat up, grabbing his madly vibrating silent phone from the pocket of his Spidey suit. He had changed into some fluffy pajama pants and a t-shirt someone had borrowed him, Peter hadn't paid attention to who. He clicked 'accept.'

"Ned?"

**"Pete, holy shit, I just saw the news, are you okay? Where are you?"** He sighed and laid back down on his bed.

"I'm okay, I'm with the Avengers."

**"The** **_Avengers_ ** **?"**

"Yeah," he breathed, "Upstate. Mr. Stark picked me up last night." There was a bit of silence.

**"You wanna come over? I'm assuming you're not going to school today."**

"Yeah, I'm not, uhhhhh, maybe not today, I think the Avengers wanna keep an eye on me..."

**"Nonono, that's fine, I just... I'm really sorry Pete."**

"You don't need to apologize, it wasn't your fault, it was..." Peter took a calming breath. It wasn't going to be of any use getting riled up now.

**"Mr. Stark asks if you wish to join him in the kitchen for breakfast,"** Friday suddenly said. Peter pulled his phone away from his mouth.

"Yeah, I'll, uh, be there in a minute." He put the phone back to his ear. "I gotta go eat, I'll talk to you later?"

**"Yeah, bye Peter."**

"Bye Ned." He clicked off the call and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Uh, Friday?" he called awkwardly.

**"Yes Peter?"**

"Oh, um, where's the kitchen?"

**"Turn left down the hall and then right."**

"Thanks."

**"No problem."** Peter briefly considered changing, but then he realized he didn't have anything to change into.

_I'm sure they won't mind, right? It's not like I have anything else here_ , he thought. He followed Friday's instructions and hesitantly made his way to the large kitchen. When he entered, he discovered, of all things, Captain America making eggs at the stove. Peter didn't even know Steve knew how to cook. Well, he basically grew up in the Great Depression, so it kinda make sense.

"Oh, good morning son," he said, turning towards Peter.

"Uh, g-good morning," he responded.

"Take a seat, breakfast should be done in a couple minutes," he said, turning back to his eggs.

"Do you, uh, need any help?" Peter asked.

"Not really, I'm just finishing up," was the answer. Peter nodded silently even though Steve couldn't see with his back turned.

Just then a man walked in, and it took a moment for Peter's tired brain to recognize him as the Winter Soldier. He let out a little 'eep' of surprise, he had made absolutely no sound in his approach. He mumbled out a "sorry" mostly to himself as the assassin sat down at the table across from him.

"I don't think we've really met, I'm Bucky," the man said, thankfully extending his flesh arm across the table. Peter shook it politely with his own.

"Is everyone else up yet?" Steve asked.

"Natasha's in the gym again, passed her on my way here," Bucky replied, rolling his eyes with a good natured smirk on his face. "Don't know about the other's. Stark probably stayed up all night working on that AI of his again."

Everyone soon trickled into the large kitchen, all mumbling various greetings. Peter realized that someone had handed him something, a coffee by the looks of it. Sam gave him a friendly smile. "Ya look like you could use it," he said, sitting down in an empty seat next to Peter. He grabbed it silently and took a sip. It was bitter, but he swallowed. He needed the caffeine, he figured. Usually he avoided it (it tended to enhance his senses so much that he was hypersensitive to every little touch and noise), but he was so out of it today that he probably needed it if he didn't want to fall asleep right then and there. Not that he would be able to fall asleep of his own volition anyway. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was May's inanimate body. He almost choked on the drink in his hand at the memory. He wiped his eyes of any stray tears that might have fallen with the back of his hand. He caught Steve looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but neither of them said anything.

Steve passed out plates and set down the various breakfast items on the large island the group surrounded. Everyone dished themselves and made small talk while they ate. Peter however, just picked at his food. Tony, who was sitting next to him, leaned over. "Not hungry?"

"Not really," he mumbled.

"Well you should try to eat something," he said.

"Says the man who locks himself in his lab and doesn't sleep for three days," Wanda snorted.

In my defense, I was on the verge of a breakthrough," Tony exclaimed, raising a finger.

"I'm sure the breakthrough could have waited half a day while you actually got some sleep," Clint joined in.

"I was on a roll!" Tony defended. Peter smiled slightly at the good-natured banter. He had never seen this side of the Avengers, the more normal side. Well, as normal as you can get when you live with a bunch of superhumans and assassins. He kind of liked it.


	4. Chapter 4

After breakfast, everyone had kind of trickled away to do their own thing. Peter, not knowing what else to do, just sat in the living room with his phone and caught up on a bunch of notifications that he had missed. There were some texts from Ned and MJ, and an email from Midtown High extending their condolences and excusing him from classes for a week. He sighed slightly as he read it, knowing that if he took the entire week he'd have to make up a crap load of homework. Did they excuse him from that as well? He'd have to check that when he went back.

Just then, Tony entered the room with a stack of papers and files in his hand and an indefinable expression on his face. Peter looked at him inquisitively. He sat down on the couch across from him and set the stack down on the coffee table in between them. "What's that?" Peter asked, canting his head to the side slightly.

"Adoption papers," was the candid reply. Peter blinked, not sure he heard him right.

"A-adoption papers?"

"It's entirely up to you of course, just thought you probably didn't wanna get shoved into the system," Tony elaborated. "Everything's taken care of, all you have to do is sign." He pulled out a slip of paper and a pen, sliding them towards Peter. "If you want to, of course." He looked over it with slightly unfocused eyes. Yep, those were adoption papers alright. He bit his lip pensively, thinking it over. He honestly couldn't think of any downsides. Maybe a lot of press, but no one really needed to find out, right? And it'd definitely make it easier to be Spider-Man, with the easy lab access. Maybe someone would notice Spider-Man hanging around the Avengers Facility, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. He was practically an Avenger already. Was there some sort of ritual that he needed to complete? Did Cap need to dub him worthy with his shield or something? Peter almost laughed at the humorous thought. He doubted it. Regardless, he was already basically living with the Avengers, why not make it official?

Peter took the pen in his hand and signed at the bottom, before smiling up at Tony. "I guess I'm your son now."

\-------

Peter took a deep breath before he entered the front doors of Midtown High. It had been a couple days since he had been adopted, and it kind of went by in a blur. Tony had had all of his things shipped to the Facility, and had silently started paying the rent for his old apartment. Peter had given him a thankful look but otherwise hadn't mentioned it.

He was pulled from his thoughts on the last few days when he heard his name being called. "Peter!" Ned exclaimed upon approaching.

"Hey Ned," he greeted.

"Hey," he replied. "Are you okay? Are you still staying with the Avengers?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I got adopted by Tony Stark."

"You got  _what_?"

"Yeah," he laughed a bit.

"Wow."

"Yeah," he repeated. He still couldn't really comprehend it himself, it had all happened so fast.

"Peter," another voice called out.

"Oh, hey MJ," he greeted.

"You, ya know, doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he said.

"You sure?" Ned asked.

"I'm fine guys," he gave them a small smile, though it probably wasn't very convincing. The bell suddenly rang, signaling that it was time to head to class. The three walked inside together. A couple people gave him sympathetic looks, but otherwise no one interacted with the group. Not even Flash, whom they passed in the hall. He just kept his head down and kept walking. Peter looked back at him quizzingly but didn't comment. If he wasn't bullying him anymore, he would take it, no matter the reason.

\-------

At the end of the day, Peter was planning on walking home. Well, at least until he had the chance to change into his Spidey suit and web-swing back to the Avengers Facility. Walking that distance would be absurd. He was just getting ready to exit the campus when he spotted a group of people. Curious, he walked over to discover them crowded around an expensive car; Peter realized it was one of Tony's cars. He cringed; he didn't see how he could avoid everyone now. He had hoped that his adoption would have stayed a secret for at least a little bit longer. He kind of just hovered at the edge of the group and hoped everyone would go away soon, so he could slip into the car unseen. The driver's door window suddenly opened, and none other than the billionaire himself was behind the wheel. "Hey, everyone needs to move, I can't get out," he said in that bored tone of his. The students slowly and reluctantly dispersed, but still hovered around the vehicle in a loose semi-circle. Peter pulled the hood of his jacket up and tried to cover his face as he approached, quietly slipping into the open back seat. He shut the door and thanked goodness that Tony had chosen a car with the windows tinted.

"Hey kid," Tony greeted as he turned around slightly in his seat.

"Y-you didn't have to pick me up," Peter said, trying not to sound ungrateful.

"I know. I wanted to," Tony said lightly as he started up the car. Peter stared at him for a moment before the ends of his mouth turned up a bit. He had to admit, it was pretty nice not having to walk home.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a small ceremony. Just Peter, Ned, MJ, and a couple friends from May's work. Tony had payed for everything, as he insisted. Peter didn't have it in him to resist.

It was short as well; the teen had requested it. He didn't know how much he could handle, especially with her body right there, in a casket, in front of him.

She was buried right next to Uncle Ben, of course. Peter lingered by both of their graves long after everyone else had left, just standing, staring. Tony stood a respectful distance away, still watching the boy. He had barely moved in an hour. Eventually, he walked up quietly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you wanna get going?" he asked softly. Peter was silent for a bit before turning. There were unspilled tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, sniffling and rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his suit. Tony led him back to the car, his arm still around his shoulder. They both climbed into the back and he told Friday to drive them home. They sat in silence as they rode, Tony not daring to speak lest the teen break down again. As previously established, he didn't really know how to handle emotions. Yes, he wanted to be there for him, but he didn't know how. He was much better at dealing with mechanics and programs.  _That_  was his speciality. Human feelings? Not so much.

When they finally got back to the Avenger's Facility, Peter went straight to his new room, shut the door, and didn't come out until supper. And even then, he was practically silent. When Tony was alone, he asked Friday to, once again, keep an eye on the boy.

 **"Peter has requested that I deactivate the security cameras in his bedroom,"** she informed him. Tony's lips formed a thin line.  _Well, I don't really blame him_ , he thought.  _I probably wouldn't want to be recorded either, especially if I was crying or something._  The thought of Peter in so much pain made Tony falter. Should he make an attempt to talk to him? Find out how he was doing? He was practically clueless, and that annoyed him. He didn't like it when he didn't know how to handle a situation. Tony set down the wrench he was using in frustration. He glanced over at the other tables scattered around his lab, noticing Bruce's little lab in the corner. He suddenly had an idea.

\-------

Peter suddenly heard a knock at the door. He lifted his head, where he had been messing around with his Spidey suit, not really doing anything. He stood and walked over to the door, opening it a bit. Tony was outside. "Hey kid," he greeted. "Grab your suit. Wanna upgrade it?" Peter blinked.

"Oh, uh, sure, hold on." He left the door open as he backtracked into his room and snatched the suit and mask from the bed. "Uh, upgrade what, exactly?" he asked.

"We'll decide when we get to it, c'mon," was the response. Peter shrugged mentally and followed his adoptive father out of the room and down the hallway. He almost froze at that subconscious thought. Yeah, technically it was official that Tony was his dad now, but it had finally fully sunk in that  _he was Tony Stark's freaking son._

When they finally arrived, Peter gaped at the huge expanse of a room. There was tech scattered everywhere, pieces of Iron Man suits being the most prominent, along with some car parts as far as Peter could tell. It was messy, but a familiar kind of messy, if that makes sense. It felt kind of homey, if Peter was being honest. "Pretty cool right?" Tony said, breaking him out of his daze.

"Definitely, Mr. Stark," he answered.

"Forget all this mister business," he said. "Tony's fine."

"O-oh, sorry Mr. S- Tony," he quickly corrected himself. The man chuckled a bit and walked further into the large room, gesturing for Peter to join him. Once he did, he laid the suit out on a semi-empty table, staring at it. Peter looked at him, and was about to ask what he was doing when he suddenly said,

"You have electro webs right?"

"Yeah," Peter replied a little shyly. Tony nodded and continued to stare at the suit, obviously waiting for an idea to pop into his head. "I-I was thinking that maybe I could try and increase the amount of web fluid the shooters could store, I don't really wanna run out in the middle of the fight, and if I can't get to the other cartridges, t-that might be a problem," Peter rambled.

"Hmm, I like that," Tony commented. "You have the shooters?" Peter held up his wrists and pulled the sleeves of his shirt down. He had taken to wearing them everywhere, even if he didn't have his suit with him, ever since the whole Vulture incident. He pulled the web shooters off and set them down on the table. Tony grabbed a screwdriver. He mumbled to himself,

"Okay, let's see what we can do here..."

\-------

Four hours later, the two finished tired but satisfied. In addition to upgrading the shooters, Tony had done a complete overhaul on Karen, adding so many new features that Peter didn't even bother asking. The two of them went to bed later that night contented. Peter realized that he felt happy, happier than he had been at the beginning of this whole saga at least. He fell asleep that night with a light smile on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, let's see just how good you are Webhead." Peter jumped as an arrow soared towards him, sticking into the wall where he had just been. Clint had a small smirk on his face.

"Just how sharp  _are_  those things?" he asked while sticking to the wall about five feet higher.

"Very." Clint shot another one, and this time Peter dived to the side. Sam suddenly swooped down in the Falcon suit and took a swipe at him, his target thankfully dodging out of the way thanks to his spidey sense.

"Hey, this isn't fair! This is two against one!"

"Oh trust me, you have the advantage. You have Natasha." Said redhead suddenly jumped from out of seemingly nowhere and tackled Clint to the ground, both grunting as they did so. Sam flew high near the ceiling, looking a lot like the bird for he was named, obviously worried that she would go after him next. Peter took the opportunity to shoot his webs at the man's wings and jump down to the ground, pulling him with him. Sam let out a single 'woah!' before he was yanked close to the floor. He regained control right before he hit the ground however, thrusters blasting. Now it was Peter's turn to get pulled, yelping as he got dragged mid-air towards the ceiling. It briefly reminded him of that one time with the Vulture where something eerily similar occured. Oh well, you were gonna get that with people that can fly.  _Now_ there _was a sentence I'd never thought I'd think_ , Peter thought offhandedly while he was pulled through the air. He quickly let go of the stand of webbing and jumped for the closest wall.

"Geez, you guys are hardcore," he commented.

"Of course," Clint answered, though he was still sparring with Natasha (and judging from the headlock he was in, failing pretty miserably at). His spidey sense suddenly blared, causing him to dodge as Sam came at him again. He shot webs at each of his wings and slingshotted himself straight towards the man, his feet connecting solidly with his torso and effectively knocking him out of the sky. They tumbled to the ground, Peter landing on top of Sam and pinning him to the ground. He quickly shot webs at the man's wings, restricting any movement the man could have made. It looked like Natasha had efficiently finished up with Clint, and now looked to be choking him out with his own bow...? Peter mentally shrugged.

"Oh no, you're not doing that again," Sam called, the blades of his wings slicing through the thin webbing. Peter had time to mumble an 'oh crap' before a flying kick was thrown at him. He ducked and slid in between Sam's legs. The man turned around mid-air and grabbed the back of his suit, yanking the spider back and up. Peter spun into a backflip and landed on the man's wing pack, immediately webbing up the joints and gears. The pack spluttered, prompting him to jump off and stick to the nearest wall. There weren't many things to climb in the training room except the walls and ceiling. Sam took a nosedive, but righted himself just before he crashed and stumbled to his feet. Peter took advantage of that and shot electrowebs at the wing pack again, rendering it useless. He then used normal webs to pin him to the nearby wall, this time using up almost half his cartridge. Sam struggled but couldn't break himself free. "Okay okay, you win, now cut me free," he called. Clint and Natasha seemed to had finished their little match, as Nat came over and cut him free with one of her many knives. It was slightly frightening how many weapons she could fit onto her person. She chuckled as she sliced away the webs.

"He kicked your ass, Wilson."

"Yeah yeah," he mumbled, pulling his arm free. Peter couldn't hold back a giggle watching him struggle to get free.

"Yeah, laugh it up Webhead, but you better watch yourself," Sam called to the spiderling, but Peter could see the small smile on his face. He liked this, he realized. The Avengers were more like a family than a team, and he liked being a part of it. 

**(A/N: Yes, Peter giggles. Fight me.)**


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey Pete," Tony called to the teen, who was lounging on the couch and texting Ned furiously.

"Huh?"

"Rhodey and I are going out in the suits, wanna come?" Peter hesitated. Tony had asked him similar questions in the last couple days, and he didn't know why he was so uncertain. Yeah, he trained, but for some reason he didn't want to go out and actually, ya know, be Spider-Man.  _That's a lie, you know exactly why,_  Peter thought to himself. He must have had a look on his face, because Tony suddenly hopped down into the sunken living room and sat next to Peter.

"You haven't gone out as Spidey for a week, you okay?" Peter bit his lip. He noticed he did that when he was thinking, but that's besides the point. He didn't know if he wanted to voice his concerns. He didn't even know if he fully understood them himself. But the expression on Tony's face tugged at something inside him. He truly cared for Peter. The thought almost brought tears to his eyes.

_When did I become so emotional?_  He thought, almost chuckling.

"Talk to me, kid," Tony said, pulling him out of his thoughts. Peter wrung his hands.

"So... I've been thinking..." Tony leaned forward by an almost imperceptible amount. Peter's voice got quieter the longer he talked. "I, maybe I s-shouldn't be Spider-Man anymore..."

"What?! Peter," Tony exclaimed so suddenly that the teen jumped.

"Mr. Stark, if I wasn't gone that night, she would still be-" Peter cut himself off when his voice cracked, lowering his head. "S-she would still be alive." Tony ran his fingers through his hair.

"Pete... listen to me."

"No, I, it's my fault, I-I don't think I should..." Peter trailed off, not having the will to continue the sentence.

"Peter, listen to me," Tony repeated. He stared straight into his eyes. "What happened, it... it wasn't your fault. Do  _not_  blame yourself. Trust me, I, I know what that kind of guilt can do to a person. It's not worth it. It's not your fault. It's  _not_." Peter blinked at Tony's intensity. "Peter, people  _need_  Spider-Man. Think of all the people you've helped in the past year alone. Honestly? The Avengers might not always be here if something goes down. This city  _needs_  you." Peter looked down, thinking.

"But I... I wasn't able to protect her, I probably shouldn't-" Tony took ahold of his shoulders firmly.

"Peter. You  _are_  Spider-Man." He stared up at the billionaire. He was right; despite his misgivings, it was almost impossible to imagine his life without being Spider-Man. He was silent for a moment, thinking. He suddenly shot forward and caught the man in a hug.

"Thank you," he mumbled into his shirt. Tony tensed, not expecting it, but he soon relaxed and awkwardly returned it. He obviously didn't hug many people. Peter pulled away, a smile on his face. "Let's go."

Peter was about to stand, but something on the TV caught his attention. It had been playing softly in the background, tuned to some news station. The headline piqued his interest;  **"APARTMENT MURDER SUSPECT SIGHTED."**  "Friday, turn it up," Peter asked. She complied silently, the volume on the television increasing.

**"... was spotted exiting a local CVS in the Queens area via security cameras two hours ago. If you have any information regarding the suspect, call this number at..."**  Peter didn't hear the rest. He was staring at the screenshot of the man, hood up, from the security footage. He knew where that was. He could get there in about ten minutes if he hurried. Tony must have known what he was thinking because he said,

"Pete, you can't go after him, you're too close to this."

"This is the guy who murdered Aunt May!" he exclaimed, finally standing. "I need to!"

"Would you be able to stop yourself from killing him?" He bit his lip again. He knew the answer; probably not, but he wasn't going to tell Tony that. He stayed silent, turning back to the TV screen. "Kid, let the police handle this." His fists clenched in irritation and rage, but he knew Tony was probably right.

"... Fine."

"Promise me you won't go after him on your own, alright?" Silence. "... Peter?" He sighed.

"Okay." Tony patted the teen once on the shoulder. Peter ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "I'm gonna take a nap." Tony made a noise of acknowledgment as the spiderling headed for his room, head down and thoughts swirling. He didn't know what to think right now. Aunt May's killer was  _so close_ , how could he  _not_  go after him? But at the same time, Tony was right; he didn't know if he would be able to restrain himself if he actually found the guy, if what happened last time was anything to go off of. He shook his head, as if to physically dispel his musings.

He finally reached his room, entering and shutting the door behind him. He fell face-first onto his bed, not having it in him to properly lay down. He sat there for who knows how long, thinking about nothing and everything. He was wide awake.

\-------

"Friday, I want you to reactivate the cameras in Peter's room.

**"Boss, he has asked that I-"**

"I know what he asked, just do it."

**"Yessir."**


	8. Chapter 8

Peter glanced down the dark hallway, checking to see if any of the Avengers were still up. It was four in the morning; unlikely, but you never know. He sucked in a breath silently and ducked back inside his room, glancing towards the ceiling. In the corner, almost small enough not to be seen, was a tiny swiveling camera. He pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up and quickly shot a web at it, covering it completely. He pulled off his clothes to reveal his Spidey suit underneath. He pulled on his mask and approached the window, unlatching it and popping out the screen as gently as he could. He set it inside and hopped up on the ledge, looking back inside as he did so. "I'm sorry Mr. Stark," he mumbled to himself before turning back around and leaping out, shooting a web at the closest building and swinging high into the air.

\-------

"Hey Peter, you awake?" Wanda asked softly after knocking on his door delicately. There was no answer. She peeked inside, expecting to see the spiderling curled up on his bed. Instead, all she saw were his shed clothes on the floor and the open window. She cursed in her native tongue. "Stark!" she called down the hallway to his room a couple doors down. "Your son ran away!" There was a loud crashing sound, and Tony's head popped out of the doorway.

"He what?"

"He got out the window, you don't think he-"

"No, he did." He ran his fingers through his hair before calling, "Friday, get me a suit. Wanda, tell the others to meet me outside." Tony all but ran to the doors.

\-------

"Where do you think he went?" Rhodey asked over the comms. They were weaving between skyscrapers, all the non-flying Avengers following loosely below.

"I don't have to think, I'm just waiting for..." A light popped up on Tony's HUD. "That. Alright, he's on the corner of 97th and Ottoman."

"Did you put a tracker on him?" Steve asked.

"Not exactly."

\-------

After at least an hour of searching through Queens, Peter finally found what he was looking for. The storefront where the man was sighted in front of. He landed silently and looked around, searching for any sort of housing in the area. It was likely that it was within walking distance, if he was guessing right. He caught sight of a tall apartment building nearby. "How many people are in there?" he asked Karen.

"Twenty-seven," she responded, putting their silhouettes on his HUD. Peter climbed up the side of the building, heading for the window of the nearest person. He peeked in. Just a couple sleeping. He crawled around the side of the building, looking in another. A teen and his dog. The next one? Exactly who he was looking for. He kicked the glass out of the window and jumped inside, the sleeping man inside so startled he fell off the couch. Peter walked right over and picked the man up by the collar of his shirt, hefting him against the wall.

"Hey hey hey hey!" he yelled, grasping at Peter's hand. "What's the deal? Who are you?" It was quite dark in there; Peter had night-vision, he didn't.

"You..." Peter didn't realize how much his voice would quiver when he tried to speak. "You killed her." Despite his best efforts, the words came out cracked. He felt the tears return to his eyes, and he lifted the man up higher. "You didn't have to kill her."

"Who are you talking about?" Peter punched him. Hard.

"May Parker!" Silence. "You didn't have to- you didn't have to kill her. Why?! What did she do to deserve to die?!" More silence. "Answer me!" Nothing. He threw the man down with strength he didn't even know he had. He was pretty sure he heard the floor crack as he did so. He was about to punch him again when a metal gauntlet caught his wrist.

"That's enough kid." Peter looked up. He didn't even hear Tony fly in.

"He killed her!" he exclaimed, "I-"

"Kid, don't do this, you'll regret it." Tony's tone was soft but firm. Peter looked up at him before slowly unclenching his fist and lowering his arm.

"How did you even..."

"Karen pinged me." He narrowed his eyes. "It was a secondary program I added just in case. Only works once," he explained. "Now come on, we'll let the police take care of this guy." Peter was reluctant but let himself be led back to the window. Tony climbed out first and hovered while Peter did the same and stuck himself to the wall. "C'mon, let's go home."


	9. Epilogue

Tony basically carried Peter back to the Avengers Facility. The teen was basically in a trance, just staring at everything as they flew. He didnt even have it in him to appreciate the view. When they arrived back at home, Tony set Peter down and he headed straight to his room. Tony popped his faceplate up and watched him go with some sort of sadness in him. He realized with a start that it was hopelessness. He wanted to help Peter, but he didnt know how. Rhodey landed next to him and gave him a worried look. Poor kid, he noted, staring after him. Tony was silent. The other Avengers who had gone looking for Peter soon arrived, all gathering at the door. No one made a move to enter.

"Is he alright?" Wanda inquired.

"Probably not," Sam returned. Steve eventually walked inside, prompting everyone else to follow suit. It was five in the morning after all.

Everyone peeled off to their rooms as the group moved down the hallway. Tony however noticed that Peters door was open a crack. If he had went inside he probably would have closed it. So instead of going to his room, he headed towards the gym/training room at the end of the hall. Sure enough, the light was on, and Peter was whaling on a punching bag while still in his suit. Tony watched noiselessly as the spiderling punched and punched and punched, barely stopping in between swings. Looked like the kid needed to get out some frustration. Tony didnt blame him.

Peter abruptly stopped alternating fists and grabbed the side of the punching bag, driving his other fist into it with more and more fury. He suddenly stopped and collapsed to his knees, pulling off his mask. Tony approached quickly. Hey, Peter he said, kneeling beside him. His hands were covering his face and his shoulders shook perilously. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders consolingly. Shh, its okay kid, he whispered. He was speaking through his sobs but Tony couldnt make it out.

He just sat there with him as he cried, holding him. He probably hadnt cried like this since Aunt May first died. As much as it hurt Tony to see him like this, sometimes it was good to cry.

He eventually quieted, wrapping his arms around himself and just sitting there. "Are you okay?" he asked, leaning closer so he could see his face. Peter nodded.

"Y-yeah, thanks." His voice came out scratchy from misuse. He saw his head falling.

"Don't fall asleep here," he chuckled. Come on. he helped him to his feet, keeping his arm around his shoulder as he led him back to his room. Peter sat down heavily on the bed when they entered.

"... Thank you," he mumbled.

"You're welcome," now get some sleep. He gave him a small smile, which Tony returned. He stepped into the hall soundlessly, closing his door just as silently.


	10. A/N

*greeting screech*

ASDBFKAHFG I ACTUALLY FINISHED A FAN FIC THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME LIASUVOAIFSYBVUEAKFBYVUADHFVBSKDFHVBSKFDHBV

Ahem, anyway, not gonna lie, I'm kinda sad the plot's over. That doesn't mean the story is though! I am officially taking requests for the Superfamily, anything from Avengers Karaoke to sparring matches (please only request by commenting on this chapter, thanks XD). It's not like I have anything better to do with my life anyways (except write this of course lmao). I finally have my laptop back so I can actually work on this. Anyway, mange tak, and BAI!

-The Amazeballs Raina the Magnificent

*parting screech*


End file.
